Alex. woman shoots, kills own dog after it attacked her boyfriend

WASHINGTON – Another local dog has been shot after an Alexandria woman killed hers to keep it from mauling her boyfriend.

The couple was at their home on Eisenhower Avenue when the man moved the dog’s toy with his foot, triggering an unexpected reaction from the Doberman/pit-bull mix, the Alexandria Times first reported.

“The dog had a history of resource guarding and behavioral issues and turned on the owners after they kicked his toy inadvertently,” says Patrick Cole, an Animal Welfare League of Alexandria spokesman.

The man was unable to subdue the dog while waiting for police and animal control to arrive, so he instructed his girlfriend to shoot the dog. She shot it in the head with a handgun.

The man suffered from five to nine bites over his body, and was taken to the hospital to be treated for the wounds.

Cole says these attacks are rare, but it is important to check up on a dogs past before adopting one from a shelter. If a dog appears aggressive, there are training tips that can help prevent accidents like this from happening.

In this case, Cole says the couple appeared to have acted in self-defense.

WTOP’s Hank Silverberg contributed to this report.Follow “>WTOP on Twitter.